German
The Wohlmuth family has been growing grapes at the foot of the Kitzeck Mountains for over 200 years. Today, the winery is run by Gerhard Wohlmuth Jr., who receives active support from Gerhard Sr. and the rest of the family. This passionate and always cheerful family of winemakers has proven over many years that they have a knack for the barren slate soils in Sausal and do not shy away from hard manual labor on the steep slopes at over 500 meters above sea level. Influenced by these conditions, the Wohlmuths' wines show more structure and minerality than the rest of Styria. Sauvignon Blanc, the most important variety at the winery, benefits particularly from this, of course, but the numerous other white grape varieties also produce excellent wines on the slate soils. The Gelber Muskateller Steinriegl, otherwise often a rather harmless, delicately floral affair, is a tightly structured, mineral wine experience at the Wohlmuths. The Wohlmuth Winery has long established itself as one of the top wineries in Styria, as evidenced by regular top ratings in all wine guides..
Fresing 24
8441 Kitzeck, Österreich
Telefon +43 3456 2303
Winery Size 65 ha
Member of STK
The Wohlmuth winery operates under extreme conditions. Wines of great finesse and minerality are produced entirely by hand on the steepest slopes in Styria, with gradients of up to 90 percent. Up to 1,200 hours of work per year are required for each hectare of vineyard before the finished wine is bottled. The typical characteristics of the location are brought out in all wines. The slate soils common in Sausal clearly set the tone here. The vineyards Edelschuh, Gola, Sausaler Schlössl and Steinriegl consist of red, gray, and blue-black slate or a conglomerate of these weathered rocks. An impressive slate minerality therefore characterizes all the single-vineyard wines at the Wohlmuth winery. The main variety here is, of course, Sauvignon Blanc, which is typical of southern Styria, but Riesling also thrives here, as do Gelber Muskateller, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Welschriesling, and Gewürztraminer. The use of barrique barrels is also mastered to perfection.
Red wines are also produced at the Wohlmuth Winery. The grapes for these wines come from both Sausal and Neckenmarkt in Central Burgenland, including the top vineyards of Hochberg and Rabenkropf. The soil there, characterized by loamy slate and shell limestone, is perfect for expressive Blaufränkisch. After selective hand harvesting, the grapes are transported to Kitzeck in refrigerated trucks, where they are traditionally fermented on the mash in open fermentation tanks and then matured in wooden barrels until the tannins are rounded off and the wine is ready for bottling.